‘I was lucky to play the game I loved. But it didn\u2019t come without a lot of hard work. Once I got there, I had to work even harder to stay,’ says Kris King, who grew up in Bracebridge<\/p>\n
When Kris King skated out onto the ice for his first game with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he spotted his father in the stands. He gave him a wink. His dad raised a thumb in reply.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was it,\u201d King said. \u201cThe proudest moment of my career. I could never have gotten there without him.\u201d<\/p>\n
For King, who spent 14 seasons battling on NHL ice, that exchange at Maple Leaf Gardens captured everything \u2014 family, hard work, and pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, the longtime Aurora resident \u2014 who was born just north of Orillia in Bracebridge\u00a0\u2014\u00a0is being inducted into the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame alongside world-record runner Erlinda Biondic, hockey coach Heather Morning, and former CFL player Robert Reid.<\/p>\n
King and his wife, Paula, made Aurora their home in 1997 when he signed with the Leafs. They stayed nearly two decades, raising their three children there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I found out I was being inducted, it really hit me,\u201d he said. \u201cAurora was our first real hockey home. It\u2019s where we put down roots. To be recognized by that community means a lot to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
King\u2019s career stretched across six NHL teams: Detroit, New York, Winnipeg, Phoenix, Toronto, and Chicago. Known for grit, leadership, and community spirit, he earned the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1996 for his humanitarian work and leadership.<\/p>\n
He also founded the Kris King Hockey School in Gravenhurst, helping young players learn the game that shaped his life.<\/p>\n
But his path to the NHL was anything but easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up in a small northern Ontario town,\u201d King said of his roots in Bracebridge.\u00a0\u201cYou had to work harder just to get noticed. You weren\u2019t playing in big cities. You had to stand out.\u201d<\/p>\n
That drive became his trademark \u2014 on the ice, in the locker room, and now, in his role as executive vice-president of hockey operations for the NHL.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was lucky to play the game I loved,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it didn\u2019t come without a lot of hard work. Once I got there, I had to work even harder to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since hanging up his skates in 2001, King has continued to shape the sport from behind the scenes. His role with the NHL gives him a front-row seat to a game that\u2019s evolved dramatically since his playing days.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe players today are incredible,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re faster, more skilled, and better prepared physically and mentally than ever before. The game\u2019s changed, but at its core, it\u2019s still hockey. You still have to put the puck in the net and outwork your opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Off the ice, King\u2019s commitment to community remains steadfast. He\u2019s lent his time to Ronald McDonald House and countless local initiatives, often quietly, without fanfare.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up watching my parents give back,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were always helping out in the community. That stuck with me. You don\u2019t have to be a hockey player or a leader to do good things. Sometimes it\u2019s as simple as asking someone how they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s passed that lesson on to his own children, and to young players who look up to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy advice?\u201d King said. \u201cIf you\u2019re passionate about something, be ready to put in the work. Nothing is easy. Set goals. Work hard. Be open to learning. And don\u2019t be afraid to ask for help. There\u2019s always someone out there willing to give you a hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he reflects on his career \u2014 on the hits, the goals, the bus rides, and the friendships \u2014 it\u2019s still that night in Toronto that shines brightest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I skated by and saw my dad, that wink and that thumbs up said everything,\u201d King said. \u201cHe was proud. I was proud. And that\u2019s the moment I\u2019ll always carry with me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘I was lucky to play the game I loved. But it didn\u2019t come without a lot of hard…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274326,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-274325","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}